Eric McNair
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1929-1942)
Eric McNair was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1942 for 4 teams, including the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,251 career games, he hit .274 with 1,240 hits, 82 home runs, and 633 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 160 lb
- Died
- 3/11/1949 in Meridian, MS, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1929-09-20
- Last Game
- 1942-09-19
Full name: Donald Eric McNair
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,251 | 4,519 | 592 | 1,240 | 229 | 29 | 82 | 633 | 59 | 261 | 328 | .274 | .318 | .392 | .710 | -2,579 |
Career AVG .274 vs. league average .275 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .318 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 6.7% below league average.
Career SLG .392 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .710 vs. league average .733 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | PHA | AL | 4 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1930 | PHA | AL | 78 | 237 | 27 | 63 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 5 | 9 | 19 | .266 | .293 (-10%) | .354 (-17%) | .429 (-22%) | .784 (-20%) | -818.3 |
| 1931 | PHA | AL | 79 | 280 | 41 | 76 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 33 | 1 | 11 | 19 | .271 | .276 (-2%) | .338 (-9%) | .388 (-5%) | .726 (-7%) | -347.5 |
| 1932 | PHA | AL | 135 | 554 | 87 | 158 | 47 | 3 | 18 | 95 | 8 | 28 | 29 | .285 | .275 (+4%) | .335 (-4%) | .391 (+22%) | .726 (+10%) | 917.5 |
| 1933 | PHA | AL | 89 | 310 | 57 | 81 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 48 | 2 | 15 | 32 | .261 | .270 (-3%) | .329 (-9%) | .377 (+7%) | .707 (avg) | -88.5 |
| 1934 | PHA | AL | 151 | 599 | 80 | 168 | 20 | 4 | 17 | 82 | 7 | 35 | 42 | .280 | .278 (+1%) | .340 (-6%) | .392 (+5%) | .733 (avg) | -80.2 |
| 1935 | PHA | AL | 137 | 526 | 55 | 142 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 57 | 3 | 35 | 33 | .270 | .279 (-4%) | .342 (-7%) | .399 (-14%) | .742 (-11%) | -918.1 |
| 1936 | BOS | AL | 128 | 494 | 68 | 141 | 36 | 2 | 4 | 74 | 3 | 27 | 34 | .285 | .283 (+1%) | .349 (-6%) | .404 (-3%) | .753 (-5%) | -434.1 |
| 1937 | BOS | AL | 126 | 455 | 60 | 133 | 29 | 4 | 12 | 76 | 10 | 30 | 33 | .292 | .276 (+6%) | .342 (-1%) | .398 (+14%) | .740 (+7%) | 543.7 |
| 1938 | BOS | AL | 46 | 96 | 9 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 6 | .156 | .272 (-43%) | .341 (-47%) | .392 (-52%) | .734 (-50%) | -784.7 |
| 1939 | CHA | AL | 129 | 479 | 62 | 155 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 82 | 17 | 38 | 41 | .324 | .274 (+18%) | .342 (+9%) | .393 (+8%) | .735 (+9%) | 878.1 |
| 1940 | CHA | AL | 66 | 251 | 26 | 57 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 31 | 1 | 12 | 26 | .227 | .267 (-15%) | .335 (-21%) | .387 (-4%) | .722 (-12%) | -556.1 |
| 1941 | DET | AL | 23 | 59 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | .186 | .262 (-29%) | .332 (-25%) | .373 (-45%) | .705 (-36%) | -322.4 |
| 1942 | DET | AL | 26 | 68 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 5 | .162 | .253 (-36%) | .323 (-39%) | .349 (-33%) | .672 (-36%) | -378.7 |
| 1942 | PHA | AL | 34 | 103 | 8 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 5 | .243 | .253 (-4%) | .323 (-2%) | .349 (-25%) | .672 (-14%) | -378.7 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 1,251 | 4,519 | 592 | 1,240 | 229 | 29 | 82 | 633 | 59 | 261 | 328 | .274 | — | — | — | — | -2,768 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1251 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 616 | 2181 | 318 | 638 | 47 | 340 | .293 |
| Away | 635 | 2337 | 273 | 602 | 35 | 294 | .258 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942-09-19 | PHA | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-09-13 | PHA | SLA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-09-09 | PHA | CLE | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1942-09-02 | PHA | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-08-31 | PHA | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-08-26 | PHA | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-08-26 | PHA | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942-08-23 | PHA | BOS | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-08-23 | PHA | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942-08-22 | PHA | BOS | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 3 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2B | 288 | 0 | 627 | 806 | 53 | 164 |
| 3B | 220 | 0 | 217 | 399 | 51 | 43 |
| OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 669 | 0 | 1269 | 1879 | 168 | 399 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | PHA | SS | 4 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930 | PHA | 2B | 5 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1930 | PHA | 3B | 29 | 0 | 36 | 43 | 6 | 2 |
| 1930 | PHA | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930 | PHA | SS | 31 | 0 | 57 | 61 | 11 | 10 |
| 1931 | PHA | 2B | 16 | 0 | 35 | 43 | 3 | 15 |
| 1931 | PHA | 3B | 47 | 0 | 43 | 86 | 12 | 15 |
| 1931 | PHA | SS | 13 | 0 | 19 | 26 | 4 | 6 |
| 1932 | PHA | SS | 133 | 0 | 242 | 391 | 31 | 89 |
| 1933 | PHA | 2B | 27 | 0 | 56 | 73 | 8 | 10 |
| 1933 | PHA | SS | 46 | 0 | 113 | 143 | 9 | 29 |
| 1934 | PHA | SS | 151 | 0 | 305 | 489 | 41 | 109 |
| 1935 | PHA | 1B | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1935 | PHA | 3B | 11 | 0 | 20 | 18 | 1 | 1 |
| 1935 | PHA | SS | 121 | 0 | 232 | 346 | 27 | 78 |
| 1936 | BOS | 2B | 35 | 0 | 92 | 89 | 5 | 19 |
| 1936 | BOS | 3B | 11 | 0 | 9 | 27 | 4 | 1 |
| 1936 | BOS | SS | 84 | 0 | 171 | 230 | 14 | 47 |
| 1937 | BOS | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937 | BOS | 2B | 106 | 0 | 242 | 316 | 18 | 67 |
| 1937 | BOS | 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
| 1937 | BOS | SS | 9 | 0 | 13 | 19 | 6 | 4 |
| 1938 | BOS | 2B | 14 | 0 | 27 | 40 | 3 | 12 |
| 1938 | BOS | 3B | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938 | BOS | SS | 15 | 0 | 12 | 28 | 6 | 3 |
| 1939 | CHA | 2B | 19 | 0 | 41 | 68 | 2 | 13 |
| 1939 | CHA | 3B | 103 | 0 | 90 | 194 | 19 | 23 |
| 1939 | CHA | SS | 9 | 0 | 20 | 37 | 4 | 7 |
| 1940 | CHA | 2B | 65 | 0 | 128 | 170 | 13 | 27 |
| 1940 | CHA | 3B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1941 | DET | 3B | 11 | 0 | 12 | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| 1941 | DET | SS | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1942 | DET | SS | 21 | 0 | 27 | 32 | 8 | 6 |
| 1942 | PHA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942 | PHA | SS | 29 | 0 | 50 | 68 | 6 | 10 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 3 |
| Second Base | 290 |
| Third Base | 218 |
| Shortstop | 669 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 29th | 5.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1936 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 19th | 1.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1932 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 24th | 3.0 | 80 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Eric McNair (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Eric McNair: the record in brief
According to the bio, Eric McNair debuted on September 20, 1929 and played a final game on September 19, 1942. Club by club, the record runs the Philadelphia Athletics (1929 to 1942), the Boston Red Sox (1936 through 1938), the Chicago White Sox (1939 through 1940), and the Detroit Tigers (1941 to 1942). Listed as a shortstop, McNair both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds. The birth record reads April 12, 1909, in Meridian, MS, USA. McNair died on March 11, 1949, in Meridian, MS, USA. Eric McNair was the playing name; the full given name is Donald Eric.
McNair's career batting table shows 1,251 games, 4,519 at bats and 1,240 hits, a .274 average, plus 82 home runs, 633 runs batted in, and 59 stolen bases. McNair got on base at a .318 rate and slugged .392 (.710 OPS). The .274 career average is close to the .275 the league hit across the same seasons. McNair's most home runs in a season came in 1932, when the total reached 18 for the Philadelphia Athletics. McNair collected a career-high 168 hits in 1934.
Frequently Asked Questions about Eric McNair
- What years did Eric McNair play?
- Eric McNair played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1942.
- Was Eric McNair a pitcher?
- No. Eric McNair was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Eric McNair hit?
- Eric McNair hit 82 career home runs with 1240 hits.
- What was Eric McNair's career batting average?
- Eric McNair batted .274 over his career, with 1,240 hits in 4,519 at bats.
- How many RBI did Eric McNair have?
- Eric McNair drove in 633 runs in his career.
- Is Eric McNair in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Eric McNair has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.